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SPA Magazine, The Truth About Soap
February, 2010 Issue

WoodSprite Organic Soap in Spa Magazine

By: Natalie Rios


Is washing your face with a bar of soap bad for your skin? We've got the answers.

For years, women relied on simple bars of soap to wash their faces, but with the arrival of liquid, foam, and cream cleansers came the idea that bars dry the skin and clog pores.

It turns out that some soaps got a bum rap. "In general, they're not bad," says Jennifer Reichel, M.D., director of Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center in Seattle. "Some bar soaps can be very gentle and moisturizing and do not necessarily trap oils and chemicals."

The soaps that deserve the negative attention are those that contain synthetic detergents or surfactants (like alkyl benzene sulfonate). "Synthetic detergents can be drying, which makes them a poor choice for many skin types,"says Angela L. Bowman Wales, president and CEO of Lillian Skincare, a manufacturer of organic skincare products.

But liquid cleansers can cause problems as well, according to Julia Hunter, M.D., founder of Skin Fitness Plus, a cosmetic spa in Los Angeles. Detergents (often sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate), preservatives (such as parabens), and antimicrobials (triclosan, for example) can cause inflammation and disrupt hormones. Instead, opt for soap with coconut oil, shea butter, glycerin, or olive oil. Although these emollients are often thought to cause breakouts, there is generally not enough in soaps to have such an effect. "Personally, I would choose emollients over inflammatory chemicals," says Hunter.

Spa's Favorite Soaps:

Arcona Berry Fruit Bar Cranberry and raspberry extracts neutralize free radicals. ($38)

Sisley Paris Soapless Facial Cleansing Bar Calendula and tropical resins remove excess sebum and tighten pores. ($65)

Suki Sensitive Cleansing Bar Organic shea butter and lemon grass extract moisturize and soften skin. ($11)

Woodsprite Organic Body Bloom Organic Complexion Soap: Rose hydrosol and Bulgarian rose essential oil make for a gentle cleanser that suits maturing skin. ($10)


Organic Spa Magazine, Summer 2007 Issue:



Fit Yoga Magazine, April 2007 Issue:

Fit Yoga April


Fit Yoga Magazine, February 2007 Issue:

Fit Yoga Article


The Organic Beauty Expert, Product Reviews Blog, January 2007

January 08, 2007
Decompress from The Stress - Muscle Mender Gift Set

"I'm sure that I'm not the only coming down from the holiday hustle and bustle. Truth be told I'm a bit of a Grinch, so I get very stressed out at that time of the year. Thankfully I'd received a box from WoodSprite Organic Body and after my husband got done raiding the box, there were a few things left for me!

History:
Jacquelyn Ramsey is the founder and President of this natural body shop and has a complete selection of wonderful products made with exquisite ingredients. She believes strongly about product quality and maintains a pretty strict policy on what she chooses to sell. We love a lady with principles! Especially in this day and age. The line includes organic olive oils soaps, spa and body, soy candles and gift sets. They are available online and select retailers.

Products:

Sand and Fog Organic Shea Butter Shaving Soap, 3.5 oz hand cut, $11:

My husband is a man who loves his wet shave. The lathering up with the bristle and the cool steel running over his skin... and inevitably nicking him. He was trying another brand of shaving cream and although he "liked" it, there was obviously no great excitement about it. So he was very excited when this little package showed up and even happier when he used it.
This shave soap is made with shea butter, avocado oil and french green clay (among other things, ingredients listed below) and is scented with a wonderful synergy blend of essential oils. He loves the way it feels on his skin, and I love the way he smells afterwards. It lathers well and with its thick design will last a long time. Ladies, if your man is a wet shaver, introduce him to his wonderful soap TODAY!

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Organic Extra Virgin Olive, Organic Coconut, Organic Shea Butter, Castor & Avocado oils; French Green Clay, Bentonite Clay and Pure Essential Oils of Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss and Copaiba Balsam.

Muscle Mender Spa Sampler Gift Box, Four Items, $30:

This set offers you a wonderful, relaxing spa night:

* 4 oz Spa Salts Packet
* 2 oz Sea Salt Scrub
* 1 oz Organic Massage & Body Oil
* .75 oz Organic Massage Balm

Now, if you read the blog, you know my husband is the bath junkie. He will go in there and sit in the tub for two hours or more. It's like a night out for him. He gets his iTunes Music Library pumping, grabs a few cans of Coke Zero, lights the Kathleen Lewis candles and settles in. So he immediately confiscated this box!

From what he reported, the spa salts packet is a bath soak. Like a huge tea bag. He really enjoyed the scent and the way his body felt afterwards, especially since he had had a big workout that day. Being the (sometimes) obliging wife, I came down and scrubbed him with the salts. I got him hooked on that! So the report from Big Joe is a big bath tub ahhhh. Can't get a better result!

Now, I was able to assess the Massage Balm at my monthly massage. Sitting at this computer, bending over perfume bottles and doing nine million other things really keeps my back tight. So when I went to see Debbie I offered up the balm.

As soon as she opened the jar, the scent just wafted out and I could feel my muscles loosen. I get a deep tissue massage and man did I feel it the next day. The comfrey and menthol just soaked away al the knots and aches and the overall scent just relaxed my mind. Debbie, the LMT, also thought it was wonderful to use because it wasn't greasy and was very easy to work with.

Next month, I'll bring along the oil.

Pros:

* Praise from the whole family and the LMT!
* Very good selection and just enough quantity to get you wanting more
* Excellent ingredients, wonderful packaging and quality products

Cons:

*The only con is a subjective one. I don't care for oil-based scrubs, so for me the Scrub wasn't my thing, but hubby enjoyed it and still uses it

Overall:

Very glad I found this company and highly recommend if you are looking for some handcrafted products that aren't overly scented, priced well and work wonderfully.

Check out WoodSprites line of products at their website. During this month, they're also offering a FREE soy candles with orders over $35, so there's an even better reason to try them out." 


--Andrea Kane, The Organic Beauty Expert



Bon Bons in the Bath Beauty Blog, November 2006



WoodSprite Organic Body prides itself on small handmade batches of beauty products made from pure botanical ingredients. They offer a range of great gift items including an Organic Soap Gift Set, a Dead Sea Mud Spa Gift Set and this Sacred Collection Soap Gift Crate pictured here which retails for $40.

--Christina Yang Hull, Bon Bons in the Bath





Cool Mom Picks, July 2006




July 14, 2006

Babies + Chemicals: Not The Best Combo

"It seems that along with my bright wit and sparkling personality, my daughter has inherited my sensitive skin. And while I have found a few products that suffice, sufficing isn't good enough when it comes to my girl.

That's why I'm delighted to have discovered WoodSprite Soap. Owner Jacquelyn Ramsey prides herself on creating organic skincare products that are handmade from scratch with totally natural ingredients (i.e. ones you've actually heard of) like exotic organic fruit, herbs, nut oils and soy, then scented only with pure essential oils.

The line of olive oil soaps is fantastic, particularly the Creamy Castile Baby Soap for sensitive baby (or baby's mama) skin. And I loved her Seaweed Contouring soap so much that I made an excuse to take an extra shower every day just to scrub with it. That's high praise from a mother with a nap-averse toddler.

With dozens of delicious lotions and potions to choose from at WoodSprite, you're sure to find something you love. Meaning you'll never have to tolerate that "natural" baby powder-cucumber-melon scented baby stuff again." -Kristen